The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-08-25
A COAL CREEK LEGEND.
THE QUEER STORY OF A LOST SILVER
MINE,

No'bhpo''ioous Ouu beltet--A Veiu Ol
J sh' or "a Foot Thiok"-.A Yarn as Is q
Yarn.
CLINTON, Ind, August 19.-Between
Clinton, Ind, and the Illinois line is
billy bit of country through which flows
a little stream called Coal creek. In the
nils are valuable coal beds, lying gener-
ally only few feet below the surface Of
the ground and cropping out many
places. The log cabins of miners and
poor formers, with here and there q
stony field of corn and oats, are the only
signs Of civilization in the wild neigh
oorhood. The people have remarks-
bic story to tell to any stranger may
ehanco to penetrate into their territory.
!hey firmly believe that there is q
Veln OF pure silver ga foot thick" in a
G9rtaln hill at the side Of the creek,
Inns rich vein of metal, they say, ex-
tends under the bed of the creek and
then Is lost beneath q high hill on the
other side. No white man, now alive.
has ever seen this treasure. MANY wears
ago, however, an old man. dressed in
ragged garments, and acting as if he had
Iost his wits, was seen occasionally in the
nel9hborhood, and it was believed he
knew the secret of tho mine. The old
man, after remaining in the hills two or
three days and nights, would disappear
as mysterlously as he came. When anv
one questioned him about the mine. he
would shrink from them and say: "It
would be death for me to tell"
The people believed that this old man
dug up what silver he could carry away
away and then departed, only returning
when he needed more. He has not been
seen Tor number of years, however.
and it is thought that he is dead,
The mlne-so the story runs-is hid
den from human eyes by the power of
Indian magicians. Furthermore, it is
protected by two grim guardians-a
great hon and snake ono hundred feet
long. There are many people in that
vicinity who say they have seen the lion
and the snake. AS they are never known
to leave any track behind them it is be-
moved that they are ghosts. The people
say that when tho Indians were driven
out Of that country by the white settlers
the magicians of the tribe killed the lion
and the snake and left their ghosts to
guard the mine. In order to furnish
these ghosts with hiding place the In
dams sot tire to bed of coal, which
cropped out Of the hill near by, thus
forming deep cave, which is there to
this day, and which no ono has ever
dcrod to explore. In this dark hole the
two ghostly guardians are bound by q
charm. The snake, however, is per-
mltted to leave the den once every year,
while the lion has the same privilege
accorded it once every four or five wears.
AT such times as they are free they roam
abroad and create terror fOI miles
around.
The snake was last seen in the summer
or 1856 by man named Murphy, who
with his little son was picking black
berries III the woods. The father and
son ran away as fast as they could; in
TACT, no one who has ever seen this won
derful serpent ever did anything in it's
presence except run away from it, so far
as any one can now remember, Tho
lion, however, has been hunted.
john Fletcher, farmer, one day
about ten years ago saw tho lion in front
OF INN. Lie ran to neighbor's house
ana got gun, companion and pack
of hounds. They followed the lion to
thlckct, in which it disappeared. Tho
hounds on catching sight of the beast
hrst bristled up, and then turned tail and
ran. The hunters also became frightened
ard went homo.
Mrs. Hockct, when little girl, saw
the hon sitting by stump on hill near
her fathers house. She began to scream
and her father ran to her. He could not
see.tho beast and told her that she was
afraid of stump. He got an axe and
cut down tho stump, but the lion still
sat there. 1t finally went away. A few
years later Mrs. HOckott's sister saw an
animal 'likc big, woolly dog" running
down a hill by her side. Presently she
saw it was a lion and ran away.
About ten years later Mrs. Hockett
her husband, and one Of two other Der
sons, whilo going along lonely road at
night, heard an animal breathing in q
thickct few feet away. Before they
had time to got badly frightened they
heard the animal rise above tho tops Of
the young trees and then crash down
INTO the bushes several hundred feet
away. a few more of these tremendous
leaps took it out of hearing. They did
not doubt but that it was the lion.
The spectral snake is described as be-
ing black IN color and as large around as
the body of man. The people believe
that the charm by which it and the lion
are held will become powerless in q few
more years, and that they will 90 away
and never return. Then the lost silver
mine will be found. The white man,
who formerly visited the mine, is sup
posed to have received from the India
charm by which he could control -, ~
guardian specters. When he died C&
secret was lost.
In the above bare statement the &C
Gus belief of the Goal Greek dweller.
gwen without adornment of any sou
value lying in the simple faith
which the people of that locality acS
1T as the truth. Tho story reads Lib
relic Of some medieval tale of enohS
ment and fiery dragons, which in
strange manner has been transplant
American soil.
"Say, why is everything
| Either at SKIES or at sever t